“One of the greatest casualties of war is its lasting effect on the minds of soldiers. This presents a daunting public health problem: More than 20 percent of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a 2012 report by RAND Corp.”

“Hard core military guys and yoga – that doesn’t really… go together does it?” people have asked. It’s true that, when they first walked into the study, the young, tattoo-covered, hard-drinking, motorcycle driving men that participated in my study did not look like your typical yoga studio regulars. But their words after participating in our study said it all: “Thank you for giving me my life back.” “I feel like I’ve been dead since I returned from Iraq and I feel like I’m alive again.”

Congressman Tim Ryan’s new book promotes the use of yoga and meditation-based practices for returning veterans and highlights research happening on the PWHT workshop conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Countless stories in history of individuals overcoming some of the most extreme hardships are the result of a resilient brain. Project Welcome Home Troops is working to improve the quality of life for thousands of veterans in America through their resilience building program.

“Research by Stanford scholar Emma Seppala at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education found that post-traumatic stress disorder decreased in veterans who participated in a weeklong breathing, yoga and meditation workshop, and remained lower a year later.”

“Military people don’t want to be seen as victims, they’re so brave,” Seppala said. “They’re not always open to therapy because they hate the victim status, so we want to give them practices to empower them with tools they can use to help themselves.” A year later, Low, 30, sums up his experience with two words: “It works.” Wisconsin State Journal

Stress has a rotten reputation—but not all of it is bad. The “good” kind gets you across the street quickly when you see an oncoming vehicle, or it motivates you to work towards a deadline.Your body enters self-protection mode and puts you in tip-top shape: your immune system, heart rate, attention and memory all gear up for survival.